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Let’s get to know each other a little better.

I’ve heard people say you should retire to something, not from something. And I’ve heard lots of people in the financial independence community talk about what they plan to do once they’ve retired from their “real” job.

I’m no different — I have so many aspirations, I could fill at least 10 lifetimes pursuing them all. I’ve vaguely alluded to these aspirations here, with the tantalizing promise that I’d talk about them more “in a later post.” (Need a refresher? Take a trip down memory lane to my first ever post.)

Well, friends, THE WAIT IS OVER.

Most pressingly, I’d like to write fiction and start a business. I’d also like to grow this blog, be present for my kids’ childhoods, and get back to my pre-pregnancy running and biking habits. And take long trips with my family. And, and, and!

I feel that each of these aspirations could be a full-time job in itself, there’s so much I’d love to do with them (and so much work I need to do on them to get where I’m going)… in fact, the only thing I don’t want to be spending full time on is… my actual job. Womp womp!

But I’m not quite ready to be without a reliable income yet. For one, we aren’t financially independent. And I don’t want to put pressure on my other endeavors to be lucrative right out of the gates… I mean of course if I start a business I hope it becomes profitable, and if I write a book I hope it’s a smash hit with a wide and adoring fan base… but that can’t be the primary motivator. First and foremost, I want to write books I love, and build a business with an awesome product that I’m proud of. If they take a while to catch on (or I take a while to perfect them), I want to give them the opportunity to get there, which requires that I have some financial security already so I’m not desperate for the dollars to start coming in from my creative endeavors!

Sooooo for now, the job stays.

BUT! I’ve been trying to get started on my business and on writing on the side.

Re: the business: One of my colleagues (who I barely knew at the time) shared her “million dollar idea” with my husband a while back and I immediately recognized it for pure gold (no, I’m not ready to share what it is yet… it’s still just a baby idea, it needs time to evolve!). I started looking into it and daydreaming… and daydreaming… and looking into it… And becoming friendly with said coworker (unrelated to the million dollar idea–she happens to be lovely)… and daydreaming…

A few months ago, the coworker said, “let’s get out of this law firm life and start a business. What kind of business should we start?” Sooooo… I revealed to her that I knew of her million dollar idea and thought it was, in fact, a million dollar idea. And for the past few weeks, we’ve been excitedly looking into it together. We have a shared Google Docs folder of inspiration and articles and industry contacts, and we’ve started reaching out to people we know that might help us. I started watching some videos on how to write a business plan. It feels like a pipe dream. But it feels good to dream! And maybe it will turn into something…

As for writing, I was on the war path to set a writing routine while I was on maternity leave. (As every new parent knows, having a newborn is a GREAT time to get stuff done…. errrrrr…..) I’ve been listening to the Story Grid Podcast for a few years now and am all amped up to learn the craft of writing fiction. I read Stephen King’s “On Writing” and Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art.” And for a few days here and there I’d force myself to sit down at that damn desk and WRITE. ANYTHING. I’ve got the beginnings of 2 novels, and the beginnings of 2 short stories, and it’s now been months since I’ve worked on any of them….

THE DAYS ARE JUST PACKED!

I’m feeling excited about everything, but frustrated that there simply isn’t enough time to do it all. I know that to succeed at anything I need to pick one thing and really focus on it, and right now it feels like I’m trying to do it all and falling short at everything… but… that’s where I am. And now you know, so you’re here with me too. Welcome!

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2 comments on “Let’s get to know each other a little better.”

Oh, maternity leave. The first time around, I had sooo many goals – thought I was going to start a blog then, actually, and didn’t end up starting one until that baby was almost 3! The second time around I set a goal to plant a window garden (ha!). That one I actually managed to accomplish. Good luck on your new endeavor!